So This Is How It Ends is a post apocalyptic fantasy novel by Tui T. Sutherland. It is the first book in the Avatars trilogy. It is followed by Shadow Falling. Plot summary The book begins by introducing a New York City policeman named Bill Nichols. He is investigating a mysterious house fire from which a little girl by the name of Kali survived. Out of the havoc that was reaped, it seems highly suspicious that a little girl survived. He believes it is luck and dismisses any suspicion, leaving Kali's fate unknown. The setting shifts to Chile, where a boy by the birth name of Catequil and the nickname of Tigre sits in class. The clouds roll in as he sits there, bored. The clouds take control and the boy jumps from class to run outside and enjoy the storm. He loses consciousness and faints. Meanwhile, an Egyptian tomb is broken into by someone who is obviously a child. There, an ancient artifact said to be god-like, is stolen by a boy named Amon. He escapes, knowing this artifact will help him. Finally, the story shifts to Gus. Gus is arriving home from a night out with his girlfriend Lisa and another couple. As his three friends drop him off, the conversation shifts to a very famous pop singer by the name of Venus. The other couple discuss her concerts and how the teenage pop star seems to enchant all of her fans. After Gus tells them he has never heard her music, they lend him a copy of Venus's album. Gus leaves the car, waves goodbye to his friends and walks into his house. He goes to play the CD when the door rings, and his brother's girlfriend comes in. She announces that Gus's parents and his brother, Andrew, have been in a horrible car wreck. Meanwhile, what is regarded as Venus's most disliked song by music critics (discussing the end of the world) plays. The story forwards to December 21, 2012. All of the characters previously mentioned are around the age of 16. Bill Nichols, the firefighter who rescued Kali, was married to Kali's mother and had three girls with her. He died, leaving Kali to support her mother and three younger sisters. Kali is trying to balance a job she hates but needs, along with fulfilling her school requirements. As a result, she is portrayed as